15 hugs
by Earth Star
Summary: A series of ZA drabbles that each include some kind of hug.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own "Slayers" or any of its characters, nor do I wish to make a profit from this.

Author's Note: On livejournal, I have taken the "15 Hugs Challenge." Basically, there are 15 themes and I pick a couple to write for each theme and each one must have some hug (physical, metaphor, symbolical, etc...) So, I'm going to write drabbles with Zel and Amelia. Anyway here's the first one.

_**Teddy Prize**_

The streets were filled with shouts of laughter. Crowds cluttered and filled the streets. Zelgadis felt like he was in a beehive with swarms buzzing around his ears. He wasn't afraid to let loose a displeased growl.

He hated crowds! They were loud and people would always stare at him!

Zelgadis craved to sneaking into a dark corner and hiding out for the rest of the night.

"Why are we here?"

Lina rolled her eyes as she was chewing some of her fresh taffy. "It's a festival, Zel! Lighten up!"

Amelia tried to offer a comforting smile. She was loving this, but the princess didn't like her friend having the same expression as a wet cat. "It will be fun Mr. Zelgadis! A lot of these games have prizes!"

"Unless it's a cure for my curse, I don't care."

"Come on Zel!" Gourry replied, muching on his cotton candy. "Just give it a chance! They have great food here!"

With excitement burning in his eyes like wild fire, Gourry turned to Lina. "What should we buy next?"

Lina clapped her hands like she just found a enormous pile of gold. "Oh! Onion rings would be good! Then some candy apples! Some ice cream and then..."

Just then, a booming voice cut her off. "Step right up folks and win a teddy bear!"

A short man wearing the world's ugliest bow-tie was yelling and waving his cane around like it was a magic wand to lure in more customers.

The small man spotted the group and winked. "How about you two fine gentlemen! Wanna win a cute bear for your sweethearts!"

Zelgadis and Amelia blushed deeply. Lina tried to avert her gaze in the opposite direction.

Gourry shrugged. "Sure."

"Gourry!"

"What? Don't you want a teddy bear Lina? I thought you might like one."

Lina was tongued tied. "Well...yeah ...I guess..."

"Okay!" Gourry handed his cotton candy to her. "Don't eat it."

The swordsman paid the man, picked up the three balls and accurately slammed them at the three piles of cans. Gourry grinned. That was too easy!

"We have a winner!" The small man announced.

Gourry looked back to Lina. "Which teddy do you want?"

Lina stepped up and thought hard. "Not sure..."

Meanwhile, the small man looked to Zelgadis. "How about you sir?"

Zelgadis said nothing. This was stupid! It was just a silly cheap toy...

" ...I...would really like a teddy bear..."Amelia said quitely.

The chimera glanced down. Amelai held her hands together pleading with the most heartbreaking puppy-eyed look he'd ever seen.

Zelgadis sighed. No force could defeat the power of the puppy-eyes! The things he had to go through... Why did Amelia have to look so cute!

"I'll do it."

He stepped up and paid the man. Then he calculated and concluded the best choice of action was to pretend the cans were Xellos. It was impossible to miss.

"We have another winner!"

The chimera turned around as Amelia choose her teddy bear.

"That was pointless." Zel muttered to Gourry.

The swordsman barely heard him. "I think Lina ate some of my cotton candy."

"Amelia what kind of bear is that!" Lina suddenly yelled.

"What's the matter? He's cute!" Amelia replied.

Zelgadis looked back. His jaw dropped down to his toes.

Lina held a yellow teddy bear that was holding a tiny sword in its paws.

Amelia, however, chose a teddy that was quite unusual by plushie standards.

The teddy bear was light blue with dark blue spots covering its entire body. It wore a small cape with a little red stone as its clasp.

Lina continued to argue. "It's weird! Who would want a bear like that!"

"I don't care!" Amelia hugged the toy like it was her new best friend. "I love him!"

Zelgadis never blushed so hard in his life.

Gourry scratched his head. "I don't know why, but those teddy bears remind me of someone."


	2. Chapter 2

Stuck and Trapped

This was a very awkward situation.

Amelia had only noticed that Zelgadis's brooch was broken.

She had only meant to bring glue and to fix it as a kind gesture.

She had only meant to pin it back on for him.

She did not mean for the glue from the pin to stick to her shirt!

The two were now literally STUCK together.

The area of her shirt that was stuck was where her breasts lay.

The pair helplessly stared at each other.

...This was indeed awkward...

Zelgadis began to reach for the brooch, but his hands would automatically drop like sacks of potatoes as soon as he got close.

"_There's no way I can pull off my brooch without touching her chest!"_ he thought as his whole face blushed a deep red.

Amelia attempted to smile like nothing was wrong, as her mind hollered at her body to move.

"_Just pull them apart! Who cares if the shirt gets torn!", _she mentally ordered. _"We'll get this over with and just forget the WHOLE thing!" _

"Hey Amelia! Zel! What's taking you guys so long! It's time to eat!"

Panic struck!

Lina's footsteps could be heard coming down the hall.

The chimera grabbed Amelia around the waist and dashed into the closet.

He slammed it shut seconds before Lina entered the room.

Amelia was bewildered. "Why did you do that?" she whispered.

"To save us! How do you think Lina would react if she saw us like this!"

A mental image of a laughing and mocking Lina popped into her head.

"Good...point.."

They heard Lina scuffle about. "That's weird. I could have sworn they were in here."

Inside the closet, Zelgadis unconsciously hugged Amelia to his chest like he was shielding her from a savage beast.

The princess rather enjoyed it. She couldn't normally get this close to him unless it was a dangerous situation. _"I wish he'd hug me more often."_

Finally, Lina's footsteps faded and she left.

Zelgadis sighed with relief. Now they could concentrate on their... unusual predicament.

Amelia reached for the door and pushed.

It refused to budge.

She paled. "Mr. Zelgadis...I think we're locked in."

For the second time in less then 5 minutes, Zelgadis felt himself panicking, but he attempted to remain calm.

"I could kick it down."

"No!" Amelia protested. "This isn't our closet! It belongs to the innkeeper! Also, the noise would bring...unwanted attention."

Zelgadis had to agree with the last part. "So, I suppose that leaves out spells too."

He sighed. "I suppose I could pick the lock with my tools...however, I can't do it while we're stuck like this."

Amelia frowned. "How do we do this then?"

Zelgadis wondered if she could tell he was blushing in the dark. "We have to take our shirts off."

Amelia's jaw dropped.

"But it's only so I can move and it's so dark in here I can't see a thing anyway!" Zelgadis stammered, praying he didn't sound like a weird pervert.

Amelia was stunned, but she took a deep breath while blushing madly.

"Alright."

Together, they very slowly removed each other shirts.

The chimera immediately shut his eyes and spun around to face the door.

He then crouched to his knees and cast a small lighting spell so he could see what he was doing. He didn't dare look behind him and felt in his pocket for his tools.

Amelia continued to blushed and tried to covered her front with the rumpled shirts, even though she knew that Zelgadis couldn't see anything in the dark.

Although, she wondered how Zelgadis would've reacted upon seeing that the word "Justice" was embroidered on her bra.

The chimera was sweating like a pig.

He wanted out NOW!

He was just grateful it was too dark to actually see anything. Zelgadis couldn't even imagine how his hormones would respond if he saw Amelia right now. His palms became even more sweaty.

Finally, he heard the click.

In a steady voice, he said "Amelia this is what we're going to do. As soon as this door opens, I'm going to close my eyes. Then you get the glue off of our clothes and put your shirt back on FIRST. Then, only then, I'll open my eyes to put my shirt back on."

"Okay."

In a quick flash, the closet door flew open. Zelgadis was ready to shut his eyes, except he couldn't...not when there was a little old maid staring back at him.

The woman froze and dropped her broom.

No sounds came out of Zelgadis's throat.

Amelia gulped. "Um...Mam...I know how this looks, but..."

The maid sighed like she had seen this many times before.

"No need to explain. My husband and I tried quite a few little "experiments" when we first got married."

Zelgadis and Amelia could say nothing as the maid left the room laughing.

* * *

"Man, where were you two!" Lina asked between mouthfuls.

"Er...around.." Amelia mumbled, while Zelgadis replied with a faint blush.

"By the way Zel." spoke Gourry. "A maid told me to give these strawberries to you and Amelia."

The chimera dumbly stared at the basket. "Why?"

"Don't know. She said something about it being one of her and her husband's better experiments.."

Zelgadis gaped.

Amelia snatched the basket. "Here Ms. Lina. Enjoy!"

Lina smiled joyfully. "Yes! It's been ages since I've eaten strawberries! You're so generous!"

Amelia and Zelgadis exchanged uncomfortable glances and blushed.

They didn't need to be mind readers to know what the other was thinking.

They would never look at strawberries the same way again.

* * *

Author's note: I hoped you enjoyed this! Also, in case you're wondering why Zel and Amelia just didn't unlock the door with a locking spell, I"m just assuming that neither of them know it, or even if they did, they just didn't think of it because they were too preoccupied with the "situation". 


	3. Chapter 3

"Bear Hug Attack!"

So far, it had been a quiet night. Too quiet for Zelgadis's liking. Usually, this was a good thing for it meant there was no possible danger. However, the person on guard duty can become easily bored out of his mind.

It was Zel's turn to keep watch while the others slept. He'd switched with Gourry two hours ago, but he could feel the terror of boredom seeping in.

He needed some form of excitement, no matter how trivial, to entertain himself. So, he watched his friends sleep. Not exactly the world's most exciting activity, but it beat sitting on his butt on the frost covered grass.

Gourry was mumbling about a giant cow. He decided not to listen to that any longer.

Lina was snoring with a huge smile plastered on her face.

"_She must be dreaming about money."_ Zelgadis thought.

A sudden whimper caught the chimera's attention.

Amelia was clutching her fists to her chest. Her face was twisted like she was about to scream.

"She's having a nightmare."

Amelia then muttered some kind of justice speech and another whimper came.

"That's it!" Zelgadis was determined to wake her and shook her shoulder.

Amelia grabbed his arm. Still in dreamland, she pulled him forward.

Zelgadis froze. They were so close, he could smell her breath.

Amelia wrapped her arms around him.

And then she cried "Joyful reunion bear hug attack!"

It was the tightest hug Zelgadis had ever recieved. He even found it difficult to breathe properly. Apparently, Amelia was a lot stronger then she let on. It was either that, or she gained super human strength while she was sleeping.

He sighed. _"It figures that Phil would teach his daughter all of his attacks."_

Then, Amelia's grip loosened, but he still couldn't break free without waking her.

A content expression appeared on her face.

Zelgadis sweat-dropped. _"You've got to be kidding me!"_

He didn't want to wake Amelia, especially since she had finally gotten rid of her nightmare. Not to mention the awkwardness he would have to deal with if she woke up with him in her arms.

The worse case scenario, Amelia would jump to the wrong conclusion and start punching him on instinct.

He didn't want to find out how strong she was when half asleep!

Zelgadis had no choice for now. He was stuck until Amelia moved her arm enough for him to get out or he found some other means of escape.

Still, the situation wasn't completely horrible. It would have been if someone else was hugging him, but since it was Amelia, he didn't mind so much.

Zelgadis just prayed he could get loose before Lina woke up. He would have a tough time explaining this.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own Slayers and I don't wish to make any profit from this story.

"The Magic of a Tickle."

"I don't believe it!" Amelia's cry echoed throughout the restaurant.

Curious, the other costumers glanced to their table as Zelgadis sighed. "Amelia it's not that hard to believe."

Ears strained to hear more.

Amelia stood up from her chair completely flustered. "But everyone is ticklish! How can you not be!"

Gourry wondered why so many people suddenly fell from their chairs. "I don't really get it either."

Lina swallowed her mouthful of beef. She was getting tired of this. "Look guys, it's simple. Zelgadis has stone skin! He's too tough!"

Gourry shook his head. "That doesn't make sense. I've known a ton of tough guys who were ticklish.

Lina growled and bent her fork. "I don't think we're talking about the same kind of 'tough' here. What I meant was, Zelgadis's skin is made of solid stone. He can't be hurt by swords or arrows and God help the person who tries to punch him."

"Exactly." Zelgadis added. "I can't feel any sensation on my skin." His tone got more bitter. "So it's impossible for me to feel a tickle."

Amelia frowned. "I still don't think that's true! I'm sure there's a way to tickle you!"

Zelgadis scoffed. "That's a nice thought and as much as I wish it were true, it's not. You be better to just give up."

Amelia planted a foot on the table. "No! I won't! In the name of justice, I will find some way to tickle you!"

The other three just stared dumbfounded.

"Well... even if you fail, at least you'll win the award for the weirdest speech ever created."Lina muttered.

Amelia spent the entire week attempting to squeeze a tickle or at least a giggle from the solemn chimera. She first took the direct approach. Amelia tackled Zelgadis while they were walking and tickled his sides. When that failed, she went for his armpits and then his neck.

Nothing! However, Amelia refused to give up!

She later managed to convince Zelgadis to take his shoes off and Amelia brought out her secret weapon. A feather! She brushed it along the bottom of his feet and went between his toes. Still, there was no reaction. Zelgadis even fell asleep while this was happening.

The princess kept trying again and again, but the Zelgadis just wouldn't laugh.

Frustrated, she laid out on the grass, when they stopped to take a break. Zelgadis had gone down to the stream to fetch water, leaving Gourry and Lina to deal with a ranting princess.

"Why can't I tickle him!" Amelia cried.

Lina sighed. She had enough of this! "We've been through this. Just give it up! Nothing can tickle or hurt Zel!"

"Not true." Gourry replied. "Anything that has magic in it can hurt Zel right?"

Lina slapped her forehead. "I can't believe I forgot that! But Amelia doesn't want to hurt Zel. She just wants to tickle him..." Lina's voice trailed off as she caught Amelia's excited face.

Amelia had a sneaky, almost crazed smile of a cat who just snagged a fresh trout.

"That's it!"she cried loudly.

Lina blinked. "Care to fill us in?"

Amelia beamed and explained her plan.

Later in the evening, Amelia asked Zelgadis if they could be alone for a minute. Amelia lead him away from the campsite. Zelgadis couldn't help but feel curious. "What did you want to talk to me about?"

Amelia smiled like she knew the secret to life itself. "I can tickle you Mr. Zelgadis!"

The chimera groaned. He'd been afraid that was the reason. "No offence Amelia, but this whole "tickle me" plan of yours is getting annoying..."

"Just hear me out!" It took every restraint Amelia had to calm herself down from her own excitement. "Normally you can't be hurt by weapons correct?"

Zelgadis nodded.

"You can however, but hurt by weapons infused with magic or powerful magic itself."

Again, Zelgadis nodded. "So what's your point?"

Amelia smiled a sneaky cat like grin. "Wouldn't you say then that if it was just a little bit of magic it wouldn't hurt, but it would be powerful enough for a tickle?"

Zelgadis was stunned. What Amelia said made sense. "I suppose you're right. I wonder why the thought never occurred to me?"

Amelia smiled evilly. "With that said." she muttered a chant and infused her hands with magic. Zelgadis sweat-dropped and stepped back. He recognized Amelia's self made of casting magic into her own hands. This time though, he sensed by the energy that it was just a small amount of magic, like Amelia had dunk her hands in a barrel of water just to get them wet.

She raised her hands. Zelgadis took another step back, slightly scared. "Er...Amelia , I believe you so there's no real need to test your theory."

"Oh but I have to!" Amelia said manically. "It would be unjust to claimed it work without proof!"

"Now just wait..."

Too late! The princess jumped onto him and threw Zelgadis to the ground. Then the tickling started. Oh boy did she tickled! Amelia tickled his stomach, and his arms.

Zelgadis bit his lip. Amelia had been right! It tickled! In fact, he felt more ticklish now then he ever did as a human, but he refused to laugh. He had to keep his dignity! He couldn't allow Amelia to win all the way!

Then to this horror, Amelia wrapped her arms around his neck like she was hugging him, when the truth was, she was going for the back of his neck and ears. That had been his worse spot as a human, but it didn't feel like it had in the past now. It felt ten times worse!

The sensation spread to every inch of his body and very essence. He felt the urge climbing up his throat and ramming his mouth. Zelgadis bit his tongue. He had to stop it from coming.

Then Amelia used both hands on his neck. Game over! The laugh burst out. The chimera wiggled as he let his laugher gain control and victory.

Amelia started to laugh along with him as she continued her attack. Zelgadis could barely get the words out. "I...HA! HA!...GIVE!...HA! HA!...YOU WIN!"

Amelia pulled back and climbed off him. It was a full two minutes before Zelgadis was able to speak again. "Very clever."

Amelia beamed proudly. "I told you! Justice always win in the end!"

The chimera smirked. "I suppose." His gaze soften. "It's been ages since I've laugh like that."

"You should more often." Amelia replied smiling. "Sorry I attacked you so roughly."

He shook his head. "It's all right...and...I"m not saying to do it this extreme every time...but...I wouldn't mind being tickled again." He blushed a little and looked away. "It's been so long since my body could feel something that wasn't pain... Thank you."

Amelia grinned. "You're welcome and I'll gladly do it again."

Zelgadis nodded and got to his feet. "We better get back. Lina and Gourry were also rather eager to see me about something."

Dread and sudden guilt clouded Amelia's face as she suddenly grabbed the edge of his cape. "Don't go back yet."

"Why?"

"...I told Ms. Lina and Mr. Gourry about my theory too."

Zelgadis froze and sat back down. "I'll just stay here, for a while, like when I'm sure they're asleep."

Amelia shyly smiled. Zelgadis smiled back. He wouldn't say it aloud, but there was no real need to. They both knew that Amelia had given him a precious gift and not even Lina and Gourry's evil plans could spoil that for him.

* * *

_Author's Note: I realized that Zelgadis couldn't actually be ticklish so I had to think of a way he could. I ended up re-watching that episode with Amelia casting magic into her hands to make sure it made sense. I figured when Zel could feel magical attacks, that meant if it was just a little magic it would just tickle him. I hope it made sense._

_For those wondering when I'll ever update "Wild Hearts", I'm currently typing up the next chapter but it's a long one and I"m also just starting my midterms and I have two 12 pages essays to write so it might be awhile, but I promise it will be updated_.

(Cough) Hopefully before Christmas would be nice.


	5. Chapter 5

"A Cold Awakening"

It has been proven that the clear sign that it is extremely cold is when one can see one's own breath. Zelgadis was positive he would see his soon.

It was freezing! It was cold enough to freeze a fireball. Zelgadis didn't even want to imagine what it would be like to sleep outside tonight. The chimera had only begun to feel warm enough in his bed once he had asked for extra blankets, a hot water bottle for his feet and a large pot of tea at his bedside.

"We wouldn't be having this problem if the cheap innkeeper would just bother to burn some coal!"

The chimera rolled on his back. At least it was tolerable enough to sleep. He wasn't going to leave his bed for anything!

"Mr. Zelgadis, can I come in?"

Or that's what he would like to think. The chimera reluctantly raised his head. "Do you have to come in?" If she came in, it meant he had to leave his nice warm bed.

"It's important."

Zelgadis grumbled. He wrapped himself in the thickest blanket he had and let Amelia in.

The princess was also wearing a blanket overcoat.

"Thanks." said Amelia, as she scooted in while hugging herself.

"Amelia, I don't mean to be rude, but could you just please tell me what you want."

Amelia blushed. "Er...this is going to sound strange...but can you and I share your bed?"

Zelgadis's face was unreadable.

He spun around and marched back to his bed. "I'm going back to sleep. This can only be a weird dream." It must had been that soup he had before bed.

Amelia blocked his way. "Mr. Zelgadis, I'm serioius!"

"Why would you want to sleep with me?" He fought off the blush as the double meaning of his words hit him. "Er..that is...you have your own room and bed.."

"The window's broken and the cold air is getting in. It's like sleeping on an iceberg!"

"If that's the reason, wouldn't it make more sense to bunk with Lina?"

Amelia was silent. In a serious tone she said "She tosses and turns too much."

"_Oh right."_ He thought sheepishly. _"Amelia got a black eye from just sleeping in the same room as her."_

"And she's probably even more cranky since it's so cold." She continued. "I can't ask

Mr. Gourry because...that's just wrong and it would upset Ms. Lina a lot!"

The chimera sighed. "So your only option left is me? I don't suppose you could ask for another room?"

"I already did, but the inn keeper said that there are none left. So, will you please let me stay."

Zelgadis's brain was in overdrive and was ready to shut down. He couldn't share a bed with Amelia! _"But she'll freeze and we're just going to sleep. It's not like we're doing anything else"_ His logic argued.

Zelgadis sighed. He was too tired for this. "Alright, but make sure to stay on your side!"

Amelia smiled joyfully. "Thank you! I swear I won't keep you awake!"

08080808080808080880

"_There's no way I can sleep like this!"_ Zelgadis thought. He currently had his back to Amelia. If he couldn't see her, then he would forget that she was in the same bed as him.

However, he could feel Amelia's warm breath on his neck as she snored in contentment.

A million unholy images were dying to play through his head, but he mentally stomped on them.

He gave up and rolled to his other side. Now they were nose to nose.

"_Dammit how can she sleep like this! Maybe I should cast a sleeping spell on myself._"

Amelia murmured and shifted in her sleep.

The chimera stared at her. _"She looks like a child when she's asleep, but she has a certain graceful manner about her too."_

Suddenly Amelia moved.

Zelgadis couldn't speak. The princess was now curled up against him.

Zelgadis's eyes twitched in agony. He knew this wasn't on purpose but this was ridiculous!

He could smell her hair now. It strangely smelled like mint. Zelgadis sweat-dropped. She must have used the free shampoo samples the innkeeper was giving out earlier.

Zelgadis glanced down at her. How long had it been since he had anyone this close to him? Years? Maybe he never did. He was rather a loner even as a human.

"_She looks so peaceful."_ He liked that expression on Amelia and craved to protect it from the evil and dangers of the world.

Unsure if he really should or not, Zelgadis slipped his arm around her and hugged her like a child hugging it's favorite toy.

"_I'll only do this for a minute, then I'll let go."_ But the minute turned into five. Then ten and then Zelgadis felt his eyes drooped as sleep finally overcame him.

8080808080808080808080808

Gourry stared at the scene before him. He'd woken up earlier then usual and wondered if Zelgadis was in the mood to spar with him.

There was an obstacle in his path. That obstacle was Amelia and, another minor detail, Zelgadis was hugging her in his bed.

Gourry was no idiot though and knew what he had to do. He quietly shut the door and crept to Lina's room. She had to see this, otherwise she wouldn't believe it. He grinned. Zelgadis wasn't going to live this down for a long time.


	6. Chapter 6

**"You Stole My Heart!"**

"Let's see..." Amelia muttered, as she read over her list. "We've got rope, blankets, a new map, rations...What else do we need to get, Mr. Gourry?"

"Um...I think that's it." Gourry gave a grunt as he attempted to balance all of the packages he was carrying. "This stuff is getting heavy! I hate going shopping!"

"If that's the case, why did you offer to take Ms. Lina's turn for her?" Amelia asked, although she had a feeling she knew what his answer would be.

Gourry sighed. "I don't know, she just seemed so disappointed when she found out that the bakery she's been dying to go to doesn't bake those special triple layer carrot cakes anymore." At that point, Gourry put the packages down on the ground and gave his arms a stretch. "I just thought I should do something nice for her, but now I'm starting to wonder if it really matters."

"Well I think it does!" Amelia beamed, her eyes sparkling. Even it if was just a small gesture, it was still cute for Gourry to want to cheer up Lina. He was Lina's knight in shining armor.

Gourry rotated his stiff neck. "Thanks, but I might have reconsidered if I had known that I would be the one carrying the supplies."

"Excuse me, but would you two be interested in buying some chocolate?"

Gourry and Amelia turned.

The merchant who had spoken smiled from behind his booth. "They're the best, most popular chocolates in the entire village."

Gourry raised an eyebrow. "If that's true, why don't you own a store or a least a bigger booth?"

The merchant blinked. " Well...I never said it was something I could make a living from selling."

Amelia examined the chocolate. They were small and in shapes of hearts, but they weren't regular chocolates. Each of the chocolates had swirls of brown and white mixed together.

"Did you mix white and brown chocolate together?"

"Oh yes." The merchant replied with glee. "It was my wife's idea. She thought that combining two kinds of chocolate would be romantic, because they're so close they would almost be hugging each other like a couple."

Gourry scratched his head. "Isn't that a bit...deep for food?"

The merchant sighed. "Yes, I suppose so, but my wife loves the idea and she can be stubborn when she sets her mind on something. It's easier to agree with her then trying to get her to change her mind."

"Oh, I know the type." Gourry replied sympathetically.

"So would you two care to buy some?" The merchant winked. "Perhaps for a special person?"

Amelia blushed. Gourry just stared at the chocolate as if he hadn't heard him. "Hmm...Sure, I'll take a small bag. These might cheer Lina up."

"Excellent!" The merchant brought out a small pouch and dropped a dozen chocolates into it. "How about you, young lady? I can assure you that they're very tasty."

"I don't know..." Amelia muttered.

"Why not give some to Zel?" Gourry suggested.

"I did think of that, but I'm not sure he likes chocolate that much."

"That doesn't mean he won't take them from you. I'm sure he'll at least appreciate that you thought of him."

Amelia looked at Gourry. "Do you really think so?"

"Sure! I know I would if Lina did it for me."

"Well...all right." Amelia turned back to the merchant. "I'll take some as well, please."

"Actually, I'll take another bag." Gourry replied. "Knowing Lina, she could probably eat a whole barrel of them and still be hungry for supper."

* * *

Gourry's prediction was correct. Lina devoured both pouches of chocolate and was still hungry afterwards, but it did seem to cheer her up.

Amelia went upstairs to the room she was sharing with Lina and left her pouch of chocolate on top of the dresser. She decided that she would give it to Zelgadis privately. "He would probably prefer it that way." Amelia thought. "No doubt, Ms. Lina would tease us for days if she found out."

With her plan ready, Amelia waited for the proper moment. It seemed to arrive before dinnertime. Zelgadis needed to study the map Amelia and Gourry had bought earlier, so the chimera was forced to enter Amelia's room.

Amelia fetched the map and blushed as she hid the pouch of chocolates behind her back. "Um...Mr. Zelgadis..."

The chimera stared at her, perplexed. He sensed something was up.

Amelia's blush grew brighter as she brought out the sack. "Remember the chocolate hearts Mr.Gourry bought for Ms. Lina? Well, I got some for you too."

Zelgadis stared slightly dumbfounded. He wasn't sure what to say. "Uh...thanks, although I don't have much of a sweet tooth."

Amelia frowned. "Oh...I figured you might say that..."

Zelgadis then blushed as he turned his gaze away. "Although, I don't hate sweets either and...I suppose since you went to all this trouble..."

Amelia smiled and she gladly handed the pouch over. Zelgadis attempted a smile and opened the pouch. Then he blinked, confused.

"Amelia...there's nothing in here."

"Huh?" replied Amelia. "But I saw the merchant fill it up himself."

"Well, it's empty." Zelgadis turned the pouch inside out. "See? There's nothing but crumbs."

"But I don't understand..."

"What are you guys doing with my pouch?"

The pair turned around as Lina entered.

"Your pouch?" Zel asked.

"Yeah!" Lina licked some chocolate off her fingertips. I found another bag of those yummy chocolates on the dresser. Gourry must have wanted to surprise me."

Amelia's jaw hit the ground with a loud thud.

"Although, it would have made more sense to leave them on my bed..."

"MS. LINA THOSE WERE NOT FOR YOU!" Amelia screamed so loud the cat next door clung to the ceiling.

Lina's ears were ringing. "Geez, Amelia are you trying to make me deaf! Of course these were for me! Who else..."

"Amelia bought these chocolates specifically for me." Zelgadis answered with a twitch.

Lina went silent. "Oh..um..." She tucked her hand behind her head. "Well...no use crying over spilt chocolate right?"

Amelia was not amused. Zelgadis said nothing, but glared as he stepped next to Lina.

"Um...I'm sorry, okay?...but it's the thought that counts, right?...and at least they didn't go to waste."

"Ms. Lina that's not the point!" Amelia was ready to let loose with every single justice speech she'd ever memorized. "You were..."

Zelgadis cut her off and grabbed her wrist. "Let's go, Amelia." He dragged her out of the room before Amelia could utter another word about the wrongs of stealing another person's candy.

Zelgadis continued dragging her until they were outside the inn.

"Why did you do that!" Amelia cried.

Zelgadis sighed. "Amelia, I seriously doubt a justice speech would have done anything. You know what Lina is like. You could have talked for hours, and she still wouldn't have changed her mind."

Amelia felt a few tears leaking from her eyes. "But...but I got those chocolates for you...Ms. Lina shouldn't just get away with..."

"I never said she would."

Amelia paused. "Come again?"

Zelgadis smirked. "Lina is going to treat the two of us to dinner at the Silver Dragon."

"You mean that fancy, expensive restaurant here in town?"

"Correct."

"But Ms. Lina never pays for food she isn't going to eat herself."

"Again, correct." Zelgadis reached into his sleeve and presented a small bag. "However, I have Lina's coin purse."

Amelia stared in total bewilderment. "How did you get that?"

"I picked her pocket and stole it."

Again, Amelia was stunned. She knew Lina had always taken extra measures to prevent pickpockets from stealing her coin purse. For Zelgadis to pull such a fear off without being caught was as extraordinary as catching a falling star.

Zelgadis tucked the purse back into his sleeve. "I do appreciate that you thought of me so..." A small blush appeared. How about dinner...you know because we're friends that is."

Amelia nodded and took hold of Zelgadis's arm, which flustered him. Nonetheless, he didn't object to it.

As they began to walk Amelia asked, "Mr. Zelgadis, where did you learn to pick pockets?"

"The same place where I learned how to crack a safe."

"And where was that? You never did tell me."

Zelgadis began his story as he tuned out the sudden angry cry coming from the inn. He had a feeling Gourry was going to need to buy another three bags of chocolates soon.


	7. Chapter 7

**"Balcony"**

Zelgadis had seen many plays in his life, but some of the props he was examining made him wonder what insanity this particular play held within its acts. So far, there was a sun with a smiley face, a wooden cutout of a bunny and an aardvark and a fake pink sword.

"Amelia, what kind of play is this?"

The princess poked her head out of the costume trunk she'd been investigating. "It's a love story!"

Zelgadis thought of asking how the aardvark and the bunny fit into a love story, but his common sense warned him that he was better off not knowing.

"Amelia, I still don't understand why your father wanted you to checkout the theater."

Amelia shut the truck and began to walk along the stage examining the other props.

"Seyrune's cultural festival is very important to Daddy. It's one of his favorite events and everyone in Seyrune comes to see the play. He just wanted to make sure that the director wasn't having any problems with the stage or props."

Amelia was talking from experience. She remembered when she, Lina and Gourry had all performed in a play and everything got crazy. Although the blame for that incident lay on Zangulus's head, it still proved how important it was to double check every detail before a play went on.

Zelgadis nodded. "I guess that's understandable."

"By the way, thank you for coming with me Mr. Zelgadis."

The chimera shrugged. "It was either go with you or watch Lina and Gourry eat their weight in ice cream."

Amelia giggled and then her eyes locked onto a piece of the set. "It's a balcony!"

With glee, Amelia climbed it and squealed with joy as she got to the platform.

Zelgadis blinked, confused. "What's so wonderful about a balcony? You have plenty back at the castle."

Amelia lay her arms on the railing. "But this is a romantic balcony! You know, the kind used when a girl waits and the boy she's in love with comes and tells the girl how much she means to him."

Amelia's eyes sparkled. "Isn't it romantic?"

Zelgadis shook his head. In his opinion, it was just an overused, cliched plot device. "I didn't know you were into that kind of thing."

Amelia leaned way over the railing. "As a champion of justice, it's my duty to know about what kind of romance will please a girl's heart...WHOA!"

Amelia's foot slipped and toppled over the railing. Without thinking, Zelgadis jumped and caught the princess. He fell back and landed with Amelia right on top of him. Zelgaids briefly held her in a tight hug until his common sense kicked in and made him let go.

Amelia blushed and climbed off. "Thanks, Mr. Zelgadis."

Zelgadis sighed as he got to his feet. "I wish you would be more careful, Amelia. You can really hurt yourself if you're not careful."

Amelia tucked her hand behind her head and laughed nervously. "Sorry, I just can't help it sometimes."

Zelgadis shook his head. "Then I'll just have to make sure I'm always there to catch you."

Amelia blushed, but smiled. She knew that he was just teasing, but hearing Zelgadis say that was more romantic than the use of a balcony. Amelia took his hand. "I think we're done here, let's go meet up with Ms. Lina and Mr. Gourry." She winked. "I'll treat you to ice cream for your help."

Zelgadis blushed a little, but a half smile could be seen. Amelia grinned even more. This was way better than any balcony.


	8. Chapter 8

**"Dragon Pox"**

Zelgadis slowly moved his hand toward his neck. He had to be careful, if he moved too quickly they would notice and it would all over. Slowly and steadily, Zelgadis's hand reached his neck. It had to be done. He didn't care about the consequences. He didn't care about the lecture or yelling that would follow soon after. He had to do it. He had to scratch.

Relief washed over him, like a wave of cold water on a hot day, as he vigorously scratched. However, the relief was short lived as Gourry grabbed Zelgadis's wrist. "Lina, he's scratching again."

A growl escaped Lina's lips as she put her book down. "Dammit Zel! We've told you a million times not to scratch!" She marched over to the bed. "If you scratch, you're just making scars! How hard is that to drill into your brain!"

Zelgadis glared. It was bad enough that he was sick and forced to stay in bed while covered from head to toe in purple spots, but having Lina and Gourry watching him like he was naughty child just hurt his pride.

"I don't care! My body is itching like crazy!"

"That's probably why people don't like getting the dragon pox" Gourry replied.

Zelgadis wiggled his wrist free. "That goes without saying! I don't see why I can't scratch! I have stone skin! I can't get scars!"

Lina rolled her eyes. "Sure and you also said that, and I quote, 'I can't get the dragon pox since I'm a chimera'. And we can all see how right you were about that!"

Zelgadis grumbled and leaned against his pillow. Yes, those were his exact words. Sometimes, he was positive that irony was just out to get him and make his life miserable.

It had all started innocently enough. They had come to this inn but before they could even enter the inn's owner stopped them at the door. Apparently his son had the dragon pox and advise that they shouldn't come unless they had already had it. It was one of those weird diseases that you could only catch once in your life and then afterwards you were immune.

Lina, Gourry and Amelia reassured the owner that they had already had it as children. When it was Zelgadis's turn to answer he admitted to never having dragon pox, in fact this was the first time he had ever heard of it. However, Zelgadis wasn't worried. He was a chimera, so he couldn't get sick. The owner appeared doubtful, but simply warned that he was entering at his own risk and to not blame him if he got sick.

Zelgadis didn't think of dragon pox again until dinner. His stomach felt unsettled, but he shrugged it off as indigestion until he felt his dinner coming up, and escaped to the bathroom. The others, especially Amelia, were concerned, but Zelgadis told them not to worry.

Then the fever came. It forced him to go to bed early, but he thought he would feel like himself again in the morning. Then the horror came. Zelgadis awoke to find his body was covered in purple spots. When the others found out, they practically shoved him back into bed and now Zelgadis had to deal with Lina and Gourry watching him like he was a criminal trying to escape. He hated this.

Gourry yawned. "Lina, when is Amelia coming back? I need a break."

"Me too." Lina replied. "She should be back from shopping soon. Then we can...ZEL IF YOU SCRATCH THAT ELBOW I'LL KILL YOU!"

Zelgadis glared like a child defying his mother. "I don't care."

Lina's eyes narrowed. "Well...if that's how you're going to be..." She turned back to the swordsman. Her unreadable face was equal to that of a general giving orders to invade a castle. "Gourry, hold him down!"

Before Zelgadis could react, Gourry pinned both of his arms down on the bed. Zelgadis wiggled like a fish caught in a net. "Gourry let me go!" Zelgadis didn't have a clear view, but he could feel that Lina was doing something to his hands.

Once she appeared to be finished, she yelled "Okay Gourry, you can let him go now."

Zelgadis bolted upward and looked. His eyes widened in utter horror. He was wearing the biggest and thickest pair of oven mitts he'd ever seen. Zelgadis would have pulled them off except that Lina had tied rope around his wrists to keep them there.

Zelgadis raised his head to Lina who merely shrugged. "Sorry Zel, but this is for your own good."

"You're evil."

"Hey take it up with my mom. This is what she did to keep me from scratching."

Just then, Amelia appeared at the door. "I'm back!"

"It's about time." Gourry muttered. "Zel is a lousy patient."

Amelia carried her bags over to the table. "Well maybe he'll feel better once he sees the stuff I've got to make him feel better."

"It would make me feel better if you didn't talk like I'm not here."

Amelia turned her head. "Sorry Mr. Zelgadis...why are you wearing oven mitts?"

Lina patted Amelia's shoulder. "I'm afraid it was time for drastic measures, Amelia. Anyway, Gourry and I will leave Zel to you for awhile. We're taking a well deserved break."

The princess nodded as she watched the pair leave.

Zelgadis folded his arms, which was hard to do because the oven mitts kept getting in the way. "I don't see why you have to watch me like I'm a prisoner."

"We're just making sure you don't scratch. Besides, everyone needs someone to take care of them when they're sick." Amelia smiled and opened one of the bags she bought. "And I got a few things to cheer you up. I got you three new books to read..."

Zelgadis held up his mitt covered hands. "How am I suppose to read when I can't turn the pages."

Amelia thought, and then replied "I'll turn the pages for you."

"Great..."

"Finally I got you something that's really going to help with the itching. Ta da!"

Amelia held out a large stuffed white bunny.

Zelgadis blinked, confused. "How is that supposed to help me?"

"It's a scratching bunny!" Amelia replied. "When I had the dragon pox, my daddy got me a bunny like this. He told me that whenever I felt the need to scratch I should hug the bunny really tight until the itch went away."

Both of Zelgadis's eyes were twitching. "No offense Amelia, but I'm not going to resort to that." He straightened his posture to show he wasn't kidding. "I may be sick, but I still have my pride and dignity and therefore..."

Suddenly, both of his arms and his neck were feeling beyond itchy. It was the biggest itch yet.

Amelia got worried as she watched the disgruntled expression appear on Zelgadis's face. "Are you alright?"

Zelgadis grinded his teeth and then he said "Give me the stupid bunny."

Amelia happily handed the bunny over and Zelgadis hugged it like there was no tomorrow. "So much for keeping my dignity."

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"I got your bath ready Mr. Zelgadis." Amelia called from the bathroom.

The chimera climbed out of bed. "Are you sure this is going to help?"

The princess threw a fist in the air. "Absolutely! Mr. Gourry said that is an old remedy in his family and it really helped him with the itching when he was sick."

"Alright then." Zelgadis wasn't sure how much it would help, but after being in his pajamas for the past two days a hot bath would feel good. Besides, surely there couldn't be a weirder cure than having to hug a stuffed bunny. Plus, at least Lina couldn't tease him for having a bath. Lina's laughter and jokes about the bunny still rang in his ears.

Zelgadis went to the bathroom threshold and held out his hands. "Amelia, would you please take off these oven mitts. I'm assuming I have permission to take them off for a bath. Otherwise it would be rather difficult for me to undress."

Amelia laughed nervously. "Yes you do, but Ms. Lina told me that I had to tie them back on as soon as you're done. Sorry."

Zelgadis sighed. "Well, at least I'll get a little freedom."

Amelia untied the rope around the oven mitts and then Zelgadis stepped into the bath room. His gaze lock upon the bathtube, which he had assumed would be filled with simple hot water. Zelgadis froze. He could not be seeing what he thought he was seeing. "It's a hallucination," he thought. "I'm running a high fever and I'm seeing things."

He turned to Amelia hoping her answer would confirm his theory. "Amelia...is the bath tub filled with...oatmeal?"

"That's right."

He stared at her, looking for any hint that this was some kind of joke. "You want me to bathe in OATMEAL!"

"Yes."

Zelgadis sharply turned around. "I'm going back to bed."

The princess grabbed his arm. "Wait! Please try it Mr. Zelgadis! Mr. Gourry told me that it does work!"

"And I was once told that there's a pot of gold at the end of every rainbow, but I don't believe that for a second!"

"Please try it!" she pleased as her eyes began to water a bit. "It was REALLY hard to keep Ms. Lina from wanting to eat all the oatmeal! I had to agree to pay for her supper."

Zelgadis looked back at Amelia's now big puppy dog eyes. He knew there was no way out of this without him feeling like a jerk. "Fine. I'll try it. So can you please leave so I can undress and get in."

Amelia's face brightened. "Sure thing!" She headed for the door. "Just call me when you're done so I can put the oven mitts back on."

Zelgadis sighed as he undressed and put one foot into the oatmeal. "At least it's hot" he muttered as he brought the rest of his body in. The bath was sticky, but the warmth felt good against his itching skin. "I'll be fine with this," he thought "just as long as no one offers me a rubber ducky."

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Later that night, Amelia quietly entered Zelgadis's room. She wanted to be sure that he wasn't having any trouble sleeping. Amelia was glad to see that Zelgadis was sleeping soundly. Although, she couldn't resist giggling. Zelgadis was hugging the bunny to his chest with one arm. He looked like a child that was sleeping with his favorite teddy bear.

Amelia then noticed that one of his blankets was starting to slip off his bed. Silently, she tip toed to his bed, then placed the blanket back on the bed and tucked it under his chin. The princess paused for a moment to be sure she hadn't awakened him. When she saw no sign of this she smiled and turned to leave.

"Thanks Amelia."

Amelia stopped and turned. The chimera stared back at her with one eye opened "Mr. Zelgadis? Did I wake you?"

"Yes, but don't feel bad about it. It's almost impossible to escape my hearing."

Amelia blushed slightly. She had forgotten how good his hearing was. "I just wanted to check if you needed anything to help you sleep."

"Thanks, but it's alright. I'm fine."

Amelia nodded. "Okay, I'll let you sleep then."

"Wait, Amelia." Zelgadis sat up. "I do want to thank you..."

"You already did that."

"No, I mean for taking care of me altogether. I know I haven't been an easy patient."

Amelia shrugged. "That may be true, but I don't mind. You're my friend and it comes with the job. You would do the same for me. You know, you should also thank Ms. Lina and Mr. Gourry too."

"Only when Lina takes these mitts off of me."

Amelia laughed and headed to the door. "Goodnight Mr. Zelgadis."

"Goodnight Amelia." The chimera crawled under his covers and had dreams of attacking Lina with giant oven mitts.

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"So what's the verdict?" Zelgadis asked.

Lina said nothing as she continued to study Zelgadis' face. She lifted his chin to check his neck. "I don't see any new spots and your old ones are just about healed..." Lina slapped Zelgadis on the back. "Congrats Zel! I'd declare you cured!"

"Great." He mumbled as he groaned. "Now I just have to worry about back pain."

Amelia picked up the stuffed bunny that was now sitting on the table. "I wonder what we should do with this?"

"Toss it." Zelgadis replied.

Lina smirked and pretended to be shocked. "What Zel? You don't want to keep your cute little bunny!"

"Not funny Lina."

"But he's still in good condition." Amelia continued. "It would be a shame to just throw it out."

"Maybe we could give it to some kid." Gourry suggested.

Lina shook her head. "Not a good idea. There's a good chance that it got contaminated while it was with Zel. So, it's mostly likely that any kid we gave it to would get the dragon pox."

Zelgadis was silent as his brain digested this information. An evil grin appeared remarkably similar to Lina's grin right before she attacked some bandits. "I know who we can give the bunny to..."

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It took a lot to surprise Xellos. He had made a habit of always knowing what his acquaintances were up to, no matter how small or trivial it may be. However, for the last week, Xellos had been busy giving baths to Beast Master Zelas's favorite wolves. It was not an easy task.

When he was finally done, he decided to drop in on Lina and her friends to find out what he had been missing. He never expected for them to actually be waiting for him. The fact that they had wanted to give him a present was even more surprising.

Xellos's eyes narrowed, but he opened the gift. He was even more astounded if not a little scared and disturbed to find a stuffed bunny in the box. "This must be a trick," he thought, but the Mazoku sensed no magical energy or seals on the bunny. So, as far as he could tell, the toy was harmless magic wise.

Now being a bit curious, Xellos gave a polite thank you and took the bunny to his home. It wasn't until a day later when purple spots appeared on his body that Xellos fully realized the treachery behind the bunny. He loathed irony.


	9. Chapter 9

"Habits"

Zelgadis could see the broken upper level of the ancient temple over the tree tops. Even though the chimera didn't have a clear view, he could tell it was nothing but ruins now. Still, even if most of the temple had crumbled, it was worth checking out.

Zelgadis had learned of this temple from the innkeeper earlier that morning when he had gotten up to get his coffee. It had started as an off hand conversation. Truthfully, Zelgadis was only being polite and was only partially listening, until his ears heard the words "ruins" and "magical artifacts". At that moment, he quickly asked the man where this temple was located and rushed off. He would have told Lina, Amelia and Gourry this information, except they were still sleeping in their rooms. Zelgadis didn't want to waste time waking them up. They would understand once he returned.

Zelgadis pushed back the slim tree branch and shoved his way through the bushes. The temple was near a waterfall. The air was heavy with moisture and he could hear the sound of water crashing and falling against the rocks. He scanned the area, keeping his ears alert for any danger or threat. These ruins were located deep in the forest, where large predators tended to roam. It wouldn't take much for a wild animal or any other kind of creature to try to make a meal out of him. Admittedly, his stone body did provide him some protection from this. Any animal that would try to bite him would most likely break its' teeth.

So far, he hadn't had any trouble. As he got closer to the temple, Zelgadis relaxed a little. It was possible that luck was on his side for once. Suddenly, leaves rustled behind him. Zelgadis froze and listened intently. There were footsteps. He concluded that this creature was, thankfully, not a large animal on account of the footsteps being very light. Unfortunately, they were moving at a fast pace and straight towards him. Zelgadis swiftly hid behind a tree. The best plan of action was to take the animal or creature by surprise before it attacked. Patiently, he waited. The footsteps came closer. The sound of heavy breathing grew louder.

Zelgadis held his breath. He stayed motionless, refusing to give away his position. Finally, his enemy approached the tree. He jumped out, yelling and ready to swing his sword.

He was greeted with an ear piercing scream from Amelia. The stunned princess stumbled and fell on her bottom. She held her hand over her heart, gasping for air. "Mister Zelgadis, don't scare me like that!"

The chimera stared back, bewildered. Hastily, he sheathed his sword, blushing bright red. "Sorry," he muttered. "But, how on earth did you get here?"

With her heart beating normally again, she rose, dusting the dirt from her pants. "I had gotten up to ask if you wanted to check out the library together, but when I couldn't find you, the innkeeper told me you came here." Amelia folded her arms. "I wish you had waited for us, Mister Zelgadis. I had to run all the way here to catch up to you."

"Run? If you were trying to catch up to me, shouldn't you have raywinged?"

Amelia blushed. "I would have, but...it's that time of the month."

"Ah, never mind then," Zelgadis quickly replied, not wishing to address that topic any further. "Well, since you're here, let's go."

Amelia sighed, as she followed her friend into the temple.

The interior of the temple appeared to be much more intact than the exterior. A few ancient scriptures on the walls had faded, but were still readable. Amelia couldn't help but marvel at the sight. The whole temple, from the ceiling, to the walls and floor, was a light shade of blue. The sunlight peeking in through the holes at the top bounced off the stone walls and caused them to shimmer like ripples in water. The princess felt like she was standing in the middle of the ocean. Regardless of this beauty, she noted that Zelgadis seemed much more interested in translating the engraved scriptures on the far wall, not that this surprised her.

"How's it going?" she asked, walking over.

At first, Amelia wasn't sure that Zelgadis heard her, but the chimera put down his tools, stroked his chin and turned. "I'm having a little difficulty translating. This temple uses a different rune alphabet than what I'm used to. Also, some of the words appear to be missing. It's going to take some time to translate."

Amelia gazed up at the wall. "How old is this place?"

"I'm not sure." Zelgadis ran his fingers across the ancient words. "But judging by the rune alphabet, it's possible this temple was built before the Kouma War."

The princess widened her eyes. For this temple to be that old and still mostly intact was a miracle. She could understand why Zelgadis was eagar to study this place. There was no telling what kind of information they could find here. "What can I do to help, Mister Zelgadis?"

"You can take a look in the other rooms and tell me what you find." Amelia nodded and began to leave. "But be careful!" Zelgadis quickly yelled after her. "There's no telling how many traps there are in this place."

Amelia replied that she would be careful and set off. The corridor turned out to have little light which would make it easy for Amelia to bump into anything. At once, she cast a lighting spell. At least she was still able to do this during her 'time of the month'. Stepping lightly, Amelia walked slowly to be sure she didn't step or set off any traps that were meant for robbers. It was then that the princess noticed a large object up ahead. As she grew closer, Amelia realized it was a relief of a large dragon. Its head was bowing down with its hands clasped together as if it was praying. She held up the light to see the detail. The dragon had glowing blue stones for its eyes, like radiant beacons. The dragon had Amelia mesmerized for a minute. Curious, she reached out to touch it. The eyes were as smooth and firm as glass. "The artwork is so finely detailed. I'll have to show this to Mister Zelgadis..."

She accidently pushed in the eye. Alarmed, Amelia drew her hand back. It never occurred to her that the stones could move. Then, the floor rumbled. Before Amelia could react, a trap door flew open beneath her feet. The princess let out a loud scream as she plummeted into the darkness below.

Back in the main chamber, Amelia's scream reached Zelgadis's ears. Springing to his feet, the chimera threw down his tools and raced down the corridor. He hoped that Amelia hadn't just gotten herself into a trap, but with his luck, this was probably the case. Zelgadis skidded to a halt as he came to where he heard the scream.

"Amelia!" he called out. There was no answer. He cast a lighting spell and spotted the trap that had caught Amelia moments before. Zelgadis cursed. There was no telling what was at the bottom of this hole or how far down it went and with Amelia unable to cast levitation... He shook his head. There wasn't time to think of that now. At that moment, there was a low rumble and Zelgadis glanced down. The trap door was slowly closing itself up. Zelgadis briskly cast levitation and sent himself flying down the trap just moments before the door completely shut.

Everything became pitch black. Zelgadis could barely see his own two hands. Carefully, he lowered himself to the unknown ground below. Eventually, as he went down further, there was more light. It grew brighter and brighter as he finally neared the floor. There were larger versions of the dragon statues similar to the one up in the temple. Each held a larger glowing blue crystal, which appeared to be the source of light for the cave. At last, the floor was within reach. The chimera was never so glad to place his feet onto firm dirt again. Except that with a splash, he realized that the floor was covered in ankle deep water.

Zelgadis twitched. He just had to find the cave with water right after buying a pair of new shoes for himself. However, the chimera threw his grumbling aside and scanned the area. "Amelia!" he called out. "Amelia where are you?!"

"I'm up here!"

Zelgadis looked up. The princess was dangling from the end of the nose of one of the giant dragon statues. Although, Zelgadis was relieved to see her uninjured, he couldn't help but blink dumbly at the sight. "How on earth did you get up there?"

"I managed to grab onto this as I was falling. Now, could you please hurry, Mister Zelgadis. My hands are...AAAH!" As she said her words, she lost her grip.

Instantly, Zelgadis cast levitation again. He flew upwards, spread out his arms and caught her. Releasing a sigh of relief, Zelgadis held Amelia in a tight hug and lowered them to the water covered floor.

"I wish you wouldn't go scaring me like that."

Amelia pulled back, blushing as she mumbled an apology. She then gazed about the room in awe, her boots making loud splashes as she moved about. "Who would have thought this place had an underground chamber? I wonder why it's here?"

"No doubt to trap intruders," Zelgadis tried to wring out the edge of his cape. "Still, I'm surprised that this place has so much water."

"It must be connected to a stream somewhere," Amelia paused. "I wonder if this is an old purification chamber?"

Zelgadis frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I once read that ancient shrine maidens would find streams or rivers to cleanse themselves for rituals. It's still a common practice, but the chambers are much smaller now."

Zelgadis nodded. "You may be right. That would also explain why there are so many dragon statues here. Still, that doesn't help us figure out how to get out of here."

Amelia stared, confused. "Can't you just raywing us back through the trap door?"

Zelgadis shook his head. "It closed as I came down here to get you. I could try opening it with a fire ball, but..."

"That would risk the whole ceiling falling on us," Amelia concluded. "I guess we'll have to walk. If this place is connected to a stream, there must be an opening somewhere."

"My thoughts exactly." Zelgadis folded his arms. "Stay close to me. Who knows what other kinds of traps this place has."

The princess nodded in agreement as the pair ventured deeper into the cavern. More statues appeared along the wall. Each one held one of the glowing blue crystals and provided them enough light to find their way, so they didn't need to cast lighting. The water also continued in every direction, much to the chimera's annoyance.

They advanced in silence. After what felt like several hours, they were still in the cavern. By this time, both Zelgadis and Amelia's boots and pants were soaked. Zelgadis was positive they would start growing mildew if they didn't find the exit soon.

He cursed. "I wish I had a map or some kind of clue."

Amelia placed her hand behind her head as she peered up at the ceiling. "Miss Lina would probably have an idea of how to get out of here."

"Probably..." Zelgadis muttered "However, she isn't here and she doesn't know where we are."

Amelia grinned. "That's not true." She placed both hands on her hips in triumph. "Before I went after you, I left Miss Lina a note telling her where we were. As a fellow champion of justice, I'm sure she'll realize we need her help."

Zelgadis scoffed. "I think that may depend whether Lina is too busy eating or not. Leaving a note was a good idea, though."

"It's always a good idea to let people know where you are. Daddy always says that common sense is just as important as justice."

"I can agree with that logic." _Too bad he doesn't follow his own advice,_ the chimera thought to himself.

Amelia paused, then raced around Zelgadis so she was directly facing him. "Mister Zelgadis, there is something I've been meaning to ask you."

Zelgadis stopped, a little concerned about what the question would be. "And what would that be?"

Amelia bit her lip. She hoped he wouldn't take a personal offense. "Why do you keep going off by yourself?"

Zelgaids blinked, confused. "Why? Well, it's because I need to find a cure."

"I know," Amelia quickly replied, "but that doesn't mean you should just run off on your own. You should tell us so we can come with you."

"You don't need to. I can do my research by myself."

Amelia sighed, exasperated. "That's not the point." She put both hands on her hips. "Even if you can do it by yourself, we can still help you. That's what friends do for each other. I know that we do get easily distracted when we travel as a group, but still, you know that Miss. Lina, Mister Gourry and I are there for you to lend a hand."

"I know you are," Zelgadis replied, placing a hand on Amelia's shoulder. "You are some of the few people I truly trust."

"Then WHY do you keep running off by yourself?"

Zelgadis was ready to debate further, but he couldn't think of any other good reasons he could give without repeating himself. "I'm not sure...I guess it's just a habit. I'm used to having only myself to rely on."

Amelia's eyes softened. "I know, you have had good reasons for not trusting people in the past..."

The chimera shook his head. "It's not just that. As a child, I mostly spent time by myself. I didn't live close to many other children for me to play with, so I had to entertain myself most of the time. Plus, Rezo didn't exactly spend much time with me either, except for lessons and helping him with his research." He leaned his shoulder against the damp wall. "I suppose I've just gotten used to having to deal with problems on my own." Zelgadis gave a soured smile. "You can almost say it's a family trait."

Amelia silently stared at him, then she gently took and held his hand. "In that case you'll just have to break your habit. From now on, when we're with you, you're not allowed to run off by yourself."

Zelgadis gave a half smile. "I appreciate the thought, but breaking an old habit isn't easy."

"No it's not, but as a champion of Justice I will assist you." Amelia threw a fist in the air. "In the name of JUSTICE and FRIENDSHIP, I'll just have to give you a penalty each time you run off."

"...What?"

"It's simple, each time you fall into your habit you have to do a penalty, something you really don't like." The princess puffed up her chest in confidence. "Eventually, you'll break your habit just so you don't have to take anymore penalties, like putting a coin into a jar each time you run off."

"I don't have much money on me Amelia," Zelgadis replied, not entirely sure he liked this plan.

"Hmm...well maybe your penalty will be eating something you hate." Amelia walked off, pondering her options. "When we get out of here, we should ask Miss Lina. She probably has a few good ideas."

"Leave Lina out of this!" The last thing Zelgadis wanted was for Lina to devise ways to annoy him even more. She would have way too much fun with that.

"But I'm sure Miss Lina..."

BOOM! The roaring sound echoed through out the cavern. The whole place rumbled and shook. Pieces of stalactites broke and splashed into the water. Amelia stumbled and would have also landed with a splash if Zelgadis hadn't grabbed hold of her.

They both remained still until the shaking subsided. "What was that?" Amelia asked.

Zelgadis sighed. "I must be travelling with Lina too much."

The princess looked up, puzzled by his sudden statement. "Why would you say that?"

"Because I'm starting to recognize the sounds of her explosions."

As Zelgadis said this, the pair heard shouts coming towards them.

"Hurry up Jelly-fish brains! We've finally found them!"

"Hold it Lina! My socks are getting wet!"

The sorceress ignored Gourry's complaining and dashed to Zelgadis and Amelia. "It's about time! Do you have any idea how long it took to find you guys?! I had to skip lunch because of you two!"

"In that case, the town should thank us for saving half of their food supply."

"Watch it Zel." Lina shook her fist. "I'm wet, cold and hungry. It's not a good time to make wisecracks."

"I'm so glad you found us Miss Lina" Amelia quickly replied, hoping to spare Zelgadis the fate of being toasted. "I was starting to think it would take us forever to get out of here."

"It wasn't easy," Gourry replied as he came up. "It was like trying to find a needle in a haystack in here. This place is huge."

"No kidding," Lina gave a tired sigh in agreement.

Gourry smiled. "But I'll admit, Lina was pretty smart. It would have taken us longer if she hadn't cast that tracking spell on..."

Lina smashed her elbow into her partners ribs. "Gourry, can it!" she hissed, watching Gourry moan in pain.

Zelgadis's eyes narrowed. Something told him that his anger level was about to go beyond normal bounds. "Lina, what tracking spell?"

Lina squirmed like a worm caught by a bird. "It's nothing...totally nothing."

Zelgadis persisted in his glare. Lina sighed. She knew the chimera would not let this slip by. "Okay. I may have... cast a tracking spell on your pin... when you were sleeping."

Every inch of Zelgadis's body shook. "You cast a tracking spell on me?!"

"Mister Zelgadis, calm down!" Amelia cried as she tried to hold him back.

Lina rolled her eyes. "Oh Zel, don't be so dramatic. It's not that big of a deal, besides I only did it for you as a friend."

Zelgadis snarled. "Lina, how is casting a tracking spell like I'm some criminal a sign of friendship?"

"Well, it is when you keep taking off on your own," Gourry commented, laying his hands behind his head. "If you get yourself into trouble, like today, then at least Lina's tracking spell gives us a way to find you and help you out."

"He has a fair point Mister Zelgadis," Amelia replied, giving a gentle smile. She felt content that someone else had also pointed out Zelgadis's bad habit. Perhaps now he would understand that they all worried about him.

Zelgadis was not quite as pleased. He wanted to protest the notion that he had to be treated like a child who would often get himself lost and act as if he couldn't take care of himself. The rant was full and ready to be let loose, except then, Amelia's words from earlier rang through his memory. Ever reluctantly, the chimera began to wonder if his friends were right. His arms dropped to his sides in defeat. "Fine, but you should have told me."

Lina scoffed. "Oh, and I suppose you would have let me if I did?"

"...Point taken." Zelgadis sighed. "It still annoys me though."

"Yeah, yeah," Lina replied as she waved her hand. "Let's head back to town for dinner. Then, tomorrow we can loot...er I mean search this place together."

Zelgadis nodded. With his soggy shoes, he was more than prepared to leave and walk on dry land again. "I can live with that."

"Oh, Miss Lina, dinner will also give us a chance to discuss penalty ideas for Mister Zelgadis."

Lina's raised a curious eyebrow. "Penalty? Do tell."

The chimera groaned, as he watched his three companions start to brainstorm ways to stop his habit. "If I was smart, I would leave right now on my own so I wouldn't have to be bothered by this," he thought. But his body refused to go into the opposite direction. Instead he was being lured towards the sounds of his friends' chatter. Perhaps, it was time to break and start some new habits.


End file.
